Laziness and hesitation will kill your chances of success and doom you to a life of mediocrity. As Arnold Schwarzenegger said: none of his rules of success will work unless you do.
Make no mistake, this is still something I struggle with and still something I need to work on. It is still difficult for me to concentrate on one thing for too long.
However, in the year since I began this blog, I have more improvements in my life than in the rest of my time alive.
A year ago I was a scrawny twig with no muscle definition. Today, I am very well defined for my frame and have gained an additional ten pounds of muscle. I'm at 11% body fat, I have a solid visible four pack and good obliques, a well-muscled chest, a solid v taper, shoulder striations, much larger and more toned arms, tree trunk legs, and big, shaped traps. My shoulders are 1.45 times wider than my waist. Although I'm still not as big as I want to be, I no longer look like a complete wimp and have a better body than the large majority of the population. That's a very good accomplishment in a year, and I'm far from finished in my gains.
A year ago I was stuck in writer's block, making excuses not to continue working on the greatest creative project in my life, my long epic novel. Today, I have written around 700 additional pages and the novel is reaching its completion, though I have been stalling for the past couple of weeks. When I finally finish it, which is not far off, it will be a very gratifying accomplishment.
A year ago I was rather indifferent to my social and economic advancement. I said I wanted it but didn't put in the serious work that was needed and was more content with a "go with the flow" attitude. I will confess I still need much work in this area, and the job market being what it is, finding a new, higher-paying job is still a grind, even when your resume has been described as impressive by prospective employers. This area is frustrating because there is so much more outside your control than what you want, but nevertheless I must keep at it, and have been looking for a better position more fervently and sprucing up my resume.
Additionally I have begun to take steps in other areas. I have no intention of working for someone else forever. That's the path to a mediocre life and you will never get rich that way. Instead, this plan is as a stepping stone towards building the necessary economic and social capital I need to get a business off the ground. I have attended some local SCORE events and met with some of its councilors regarding starting your own business in the past year, and while I'm not ready just yet, I have made it my long term plan. I'm still only in my 20's, and I may need to use the remainder of them to get to where I need to be to start that business when I'm in my 30's. That isn't a bad course of action. I've also begun entry into the world of real estate sales, which is a nice way to make extra money and increase people skills at the same time.
I've also ramped up my efforts to make money online. My websites are up, these blogs are running, and ad and affiliate revenue is steadily coming in, though not enough to make a living on, obviously. It is however, enough to pay for dates, which leads me to the next accomplishment.
A year ago I was very anxious when it came to approaching women and asserting my masculinity. Now I'm doing it almost every day. It's very gratifying to overcome a real, immediate fear like approach anxiety and discover it was bullshit all along. Now I'm having a bit of the opposite problem - instead of approaching too little, I think I'm approaching too much! Nowadays when I see a hot girl my mind immediately thinks 'approach' which is a good thing, but sometimes it makes more sense not to. There are so many hot girls that you just need to pay attention as to who you approach, and spend your time approaching girls that will give you the highest chance of success. As of now I'm still learning what that is, but I should pay more attention to certain demographic areas such as college campuses and tourist spots. Nevertheless, these are good problems to have indeed!
A year ago I didn't put as much effort into my appearance as I should have. Although I was always decently handsome, I simply wasn't doing as much as I could, and that is not the path to glory. Bodybuilding is one thing, but using the appropriate products and assessing your style is something else. I'm happy to say that this has also reversed. I'm much more conscious of what I wear, and I take a few extra minutes to groom myself to a much higher degree. As a result, I look more masculine, my skin is more radiant, and I dress appropriately to attract the kind of women I'm into. This takes the least effort as compared to everything else. A little really does go a long way.
A year ago I had a big problem controlling my temper. I would get angry over stupid little things. That has almost entirely disappeared. I'm calmer, more focused, and more rational. I get less anxious and have a mentality and mindset that my path will continue onward unabated.
While I was always well-read, a year ago I was missing out on some important information and life-changing advice. Now I have become far more enriched in both the abstract and the concrete after reading great works like the 48 Laws of Power, Think & Grow Rich, and some of the writings associated with my Twenty Men Exercise. Because I'm associating with good people and good thoughts, I've become a much better man myself.
Of course, I haven't gotten here alone. I've had the help and advice of good people. Some people I'd like to thank specifically are as follows:
- Roosh, for keeping up a great forum and ROK, wherein you can get good advice (though you must also be wary of the negatives as well).
- Christian McQueen and Chris at Good Looking Loser for their raw game tips and advice in making yourself more attractive.
- Mark Manson for his excellent advice on keeping all of this in perspective and having a solid grounding.
- Wycked, for his great articles at ROK critiquing the cultural absurdities that are a negative influence on men.
- Scooby, for his no-nonsense bodybuilding advice.
- And mostly, Quintus Curtius, whose excellent articles have dispensed a wide array of advice in all the important areas in life - body, mind, spirit. In him I have seen a mentor of sorts, someone to be like when I reach his station in life.
Obviously, I won't forget the rest of the community. For all the weird aspects of it, it is an indispensable resource for men in this oversensitive, politically correct world that is creating quite the identity crisis among us.
I'm still not where I want to be and much work remains to be done, but it has been an immensely satisfying year. I can only imagine what the next one will bring.
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